That's a very easy thing to say when you're on a government salary, Malusi.

Finance Minister Malusi Gigaba delivers his Medium-term budget speech in Parliament on October 25, 2017 in Cape Town, South Africa. During his speech, Gigaba did not underplay the crisis in the country when he portrayed a bleak picture to the nation, reflecting the poor economic performance and rising debt. (Photo by Gallo Images / Netwerk24 / Jaco Marais)

You have to admire Malusi Gigaba in some ways. Very few politicians can deliver such dry jokes in the middle of a Parliamentary session and not burst into laughter.

Today’s one-liner might be up there with his best. As reported by the TimesLive, he wants everyone in Mzansi to ignore bleak economic forecasts, junk status, recessions, and chaos at the highest echelons of government.

What did Malusi Gigaba say about the economy?

Spoken like a man who makes millions of rand a year, and recently got a 4% pay rise, Gigaba may have proved just how out of touch the ANC are with the electorate.

Speaking in the National Assembly on Thursday during a debate on the Medium Term Budget Policy statement he delivered last month‚ the Finance Minister chose to look on the bright side of life:

“South Africans should brush aside the message of despondency and doom. Even at our bleakest moments we must not drown ourselves in our own message of doom and gloom. The difficult decisions are being taken now‚ but our economy will turn around. A brighter day beckons.”

It’s a surprisingly chirpy approach from Mr Gigaba. When he delivered his Mid Term Budget Speech back in October, he was largely cautious and conservative. It was a surprisingly realistic, and honest assessment that addressed dire tax revenue collection issues and acknowledged economic shortcomings.

Will South Africa’s economy improve?

His brutally truthful approach even gained him some murmurs of approval. But now, it would seem Malusi is ready to stick his head back in the sand. His change in tone would suggest that the ANC are putting mixed messages out their regarding their own ability to tackle these problems head on.

In particular, 2017 has been a bruising year for South Africa’s economy. Exacerbated by the allegations surrounding state capture, investor and business confidence has plummeted. Unemployment has risen, and growth stalled to a point where the country sank back into a recession.